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Originally Posted by Dust_Harl I am closely watching the adventure touring space and planning to shift from a cruiser to an adventure touring bike. Need help from few of the experience folks here as I am unable to decide between Tiger XR and Versys 650. Yes end of the day the best option is to ride both and go with the heart. Again an informed decision may save some big money and hence this confusion. While I have ridden Tiger XRX and XR quiet a bit awaiting Versys test ride to finalize my ride.
I may not go for Tiger XRX as it is little on a higher side of my budget and XR fits the bill pretty well. However I am unable to justify 6 L price difference while I compare the features between Versys 650 and Tiger XR. Need a solid justification to chose Tiger XR against Versys 650. If not I can spend quiet some money on Versys accessories and make it LT variant and still be left with good savings from the upgrade. |
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Originally Posted by mobike008 Simple difference between the Tiger 800 & Versys 650 is Triple vs. Parallel, 110bhp vs. 70bhp and a few more electronics aids for that 6 lakhs more
If I wanted to spend 14 Lakhs, probably my decision too would be tilting towards buying the Tiger 800 but, I am given to understand that Versys 650 is no less and can accomplish 70%-80% of what Tiger or even more expensive bikes can do. I am a simple biker who might not even extract 50%-60% of any bike's potential and like most of riding population will also be doing 90% pavement and 10% bad patches/rough tarmac so my decision is absolutely clear with respect to which one of these two makes more sense
From what I read, V650 is more nimble and handles better than the Tiger 800 so that's a big advantage to me personally as I give lot of importance to handling than straight line power
Perhaps, Haroon can add some of his comments here for this comparison as nobody will know it better than him |
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Originally Posted by nasirkaka Going by the reviews, Versys can do almost 80% of what tiger can do at 50% cost. Also when it comes to service cost, spares cost, maintenance, service network, etc, versys makes more sense. So for people on budget, it the bike, else sky is the limit. At 14+L even multistrada is worth looking at, for those considering the tiger.
I myself was contemplating tiger, but was way beyond budget. Even for Versys had to first convince myself then family, as we are using a 2007 alto which needs upgrade and a flat loan to be finished. |
Avi, not sure I am the best person to advice but I will share some of my personal gyaan
Yes Dust_Harl, like Mobike008 & Nasirkaka have mentioned above, the Versys 650 is indeed a lot of bike for the value. Today in the Indian conditions if you want one single do-it-all bike, this is the best available from a lot of angles.
As a BMW R1200GS owner, I can tell you the GS fits me like a glove and I love everything about it, including the shaft drive, the comfort etc etc. BUT, having owned 2 Kawis, the Z1000 and my present Concours14, Kawasakis in general are not only absolute value for money, they are rock solid reliable, needing very little in maintenance, more peace of mind. Even on international Kawasaki rider forums there are very rare serious issues. Our own fellow member Sachin Nair is one among the most prolific Ninja650 tourers in India and I am sure he swears by that bike.
I have ridden the earlier generation V650 and the handling is very very enjoyable. Its light yet relatively very stable at highway speeds and when the road gets twisty, with its nimble handling you can have a lot of fun esp with its parallel twin engine, when you downshift and accelerate, unlike a triple or I4 engine, the torque you experience on your right wrist is something very different (something I found closer to the BMW boxer engine). For our Indian riding/cruising conditions, although its a 650, its still a good choice for 2-up riding and will not be considered under powered unless you are an absolute speed fanatic riding with a pillion! The higher ground clearance is an added benefit not to bottom out on road humps etc when riding 2-up. I must also tell you during your test ride if you get a chance to ride some twisties, initially it may feel a lil vague with the wide handlebar and your higher seating position leaning into the curves like oscillating on the Eiffel tower than the compact sitting that you are used to on other standard motorbikes, but believe me, 10 mins later you will sinc with the bike.
I dont have experience riding the Tiger 800, BUT from a riding/usage perspective, honestly you are not getting 6 lacs worth of extra fun or oomph or whatever. Yes the Triumph name has a big heritage, Yes they are also fairly reliable bikes (still a shade behind the Japanese), Yes the I3 engines sound beautiful and Yes they are more expensive on parts/service etc and lesser local mechanics who know to work on these bikes after warranty runs out.
Whereas the V650 is a proven bike and with a somewhat similar 650 engine on the hugely popular N650, its not going to be a hit or miss with parts availability. Same with aftermarket accesories as well. Not sure about Kawasaki-India's present ASS levels, but even if thats not upto mark, if you have a good local mechanic to take care of the bike post warranty, it wont be an issue as this is a very reliable bike and easy to work on. Like I mentioned in my earlier post on this thread, an Australian friend of mine here in Saudi has clocked more than 60K kms on the earlier generation V650 and he has only changed a set of chain & sprocket and tires. He was telling me he was fantasizing the Yamaha FZ-7 and FJ-9 for a while now but after a test ride in UK, he still says I am more happy with my V650. The latest generation bike has only got better so its very unlikely that you can go wrong with this bike. I dont know what OE tire it comes with but for 90% tarmac & 10% unpaved roads, the Metzeller regular Tourance or Bridgestone Trailwing will be excellent choices. If ridden well should last you about 10-12k km. Also for some people the windshield buffeting can be there but for many others its not a problem. Same with seat comfort also it can vary from person to person. The huge aftermarket can solve that problem, if any. With tall bikes its always wise to invest in a crash bar, so you could consider that.
If you have some additional Gandhis, like you mentioned a couple of hard sidecases, a top case and some aux lighting (and may be a Skoda type horn
) is all you need to covert it from a daily commuter to a long haul Adventure-Sport-Tourer (not an Adventure Tourer. Thats for a whole different debate some other time!)
Good wishes